Karma Kenshin's Point of View
by Chibi Reli
Summary: You asked for it and now you've got it. Karma is told in Kaoru's part of view. This version is told from Kenshin's point of view. I hope you all enjoy.
1. Intro

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

My name is Kenshin Himura. I am currently CEO of my Uncle's financial firm. He is the only living relative I have. Well, at least blood relative. Kaoru, my best friend, I also consider my family. We have known each other ever since we were little and pretty much have been inseperatable since then. She's like the sister I never had and we have been through everything together and I mean everything. We can read each other's mind and know everything about one and another. But that might change.

About a year ago, I met a woman. Tomoe. We met at a formal gathering and the next thing I knew, we were steady. Around her, I feel completely at peace. Like nothing is wrong in the world. And even though she looks kinda like Kaoru, she is the complete opposite.

And I gotta say, I think I'm in love with her. But I'm not sure how Kaoru feels about her. I mean, when I first introduced Tomoe to everyone, Kaoru didn't even look at her. Maybe she thinks that Tomoe is taking her place. But that really isn't something Kaoru would think. All those times I had girlfriends, she never acted like the way she does around Tomoe. Maybe she was having an off day?

I just hope that somehow, they will be able to get along.


	2. Cinco de Mayo But a Little Different

So because I'm writing this, Karma will be on hold a bit until I catch up with this. But it shouldn't take too long.

There is going to be a lot of dialogue repeated too I think, but I'm gonna try to minimize it. Thanks so much for al the reviews.

Karma – Kenshin Point of View

Cinco de Mayo – But a Little Different

---

_Cinco de Mayo. It used to be one of my favorite holidays. Not because I was Spanish or anything, but because it was a great holiday for drinking and having fun. Kaoru and I would always go out that night and have one of the heaviest drinking nights we would have all year and it would be insane. It got even better when we had Misao and Sanosuke join us. Nothing was able to stop us until the bar closed. It was amazing. _

_This year, I plan on bringing Tomoe to our annual celebration so she can get to know everyone better. I seem to hang out with many of hers but she doesn't hang out with many of mine. The only thing is she isn't used to drinking and bars for all that matters, so I guess that tonight I'm going to have to cut back. I mean if I got drunk, it wouldn't look good in front of her. She sometimes seems so much more mature than me even though we're the same age. I just hope that everything goes well._

---

Megumi, Sano, Tomoe and Kenshin enter the bar, Tomoe staying close to Kenshin. Kenshin looks ahead to see Kaoru coming towards him with a giant sombrero on.

"You guys are here! You need hats. Cinco de Mayo is nothing without tequila and hats."

"It's quite loud in here," Tomoe observes, looking around.

"Of course it's loud. It's a day to party," Kaoru says, spinning around once and heading towards an empty table.

"How long have you been drinking Kaoru?" Megumi asks.

"Some of the guys left at around 4 pm, I think."Kaoru places her hands on the back of two chairs, trying to keep herself steady.

"It's seven now. Maybe we should go find you a seat to sober up," she says again.

"But I am, see?" Kaoru says, trying to touch her nose.

"Does she do this often?" Tomoe asks Kenshin.

"Only on the big days," Kenshin answers. _Kaoru really loves partying. At first, I wasn't completely comfortable with it, but after spending time with her, I learned to love it. Oh man, What I would do for some tequila shots._

"You should see her during Mardi Gras. It's insane," Sano responds, taking a drink out of a passing tray, only to be taken back by Megumi.

"Isn't she a bit too old?" Tomoe asks again.

"She's just celebrating that she's still single. When she finds someone, I'm sure she'll change," Kenshin says. They look at the menu placed in front of them, only for Megumi to look up at the bar to see Kaoru and another guy holding a sombrero each upside down, over their mouths, standing on the counter.

"Oh dear lord. She's going for the hat challenge. I think it's about time we leave." _The hat challenge. That sure brings back memories. I still can't believe she would be up to it. I mean, though she's small, she was able to beat Sano, but she's getting older now. _The group gets up and watches as Kaoru and another guy starts to chug like mad. Kaoru finishes first and lifts her hat into the air.

"The winner, the little missy," the bartender says as Kaoru put down the hat and raises her arm in the air.

"Hey. I'm not little, I'm petite. Whoa, what are you doing?" Kaoru ask Sano as she is being dragged down off the counter.

"We are going somewhere else to eat, before we have to pump out your stomach," Megumi says, taking her face in between her hands and starring into her eyes. Kaoru turns away, but not being stopped by Kenshin.

"Come on Kaoru. Let's go," Kenshin says, tugging Kaoru towards the exit.

"You know what Kenshin, you're no fun anymore. We used to have a blast drinking and talking all night. What happened to you?" _What did happen? I mean, we did always have a blast._

"Things change Kaoru."

---

_After getting Kaoru in the car, we decided that it would be best if we got something in her stomach and so we headed to this restaurant we've been going to for a while. Kaoru insisted that she was going to get sushi, but instead we ordered rice. No good would come out of raw fish and a stomach of tequila._

"Kaoru, what city do we live in?" Megumi asks the girl who is happily rocking side to side with a bowl of rice in her hands.

"Japan."

"No Kaoru. City. What city?"

"Toe-Key-Oh."

"She's getting better. That was her second try," Sano comments. _As much as we should scold her for drinking so much, I just love drunk Kaoru. She's so happy, like a little kid._

"Hey Kenshin, do you want to try some?" Tomoe asks, holding up some eel.

"Sure." Kenshin takes the piece she offers, and smiles at her while chewing. "The eel is always good here_." It's Kaoru's favorite. I would always try to take a piece, but she can be so protective of her food. _

"Where are you going Kao?" Misao asks.

"Just to the bathroom." Kaoru picks up her bag and starts walking away, slightly swaying.

"Should we come too?" Misao asks again.

"No no. I'm fine. I've been worse." A_s much as I want to really make sure she's really okay, she'll just get pissed off. I sometimes forget she can take care of herself._

"Has she really been worse?" Tomoe asks.

"You have not seen the real Kaoru drink," Megumi says.

---

_We eventually finished our meal and were now waiting for the check._

"Kaoru, what city do we live in?" Silence. "Kaoru? Guys, where's Kaoru?" Megumi asks, looking around.

"She just went to bathroom," Misao says.

"That was 30 minutes ago," Kenshin says, looking at his watch.

"She's been gone for 30 minutes and we haven't even noticed? What kind of people are we?" Sano comments. _He's right. How could we have forgotten about Kaoru for all this time? How could I have forgotten about my best friend?_

"We gotta try and call her," Aoshi says. Everyone takes out their phone, only for Tae to come over with the bill.

"Hey guys. If you're trying to contact Kaoru, she left a while ago. She already paid for her part of the bill. I put her in a cab and she went home."

"You left her alone with a stranger?" Kenshin asks, getting up from the table.

"Kenshin, calm down," Tomoe says.

"Here's the money for the bill. We should drive to her place and make sure she really got home," Megumi suggests.

"Kenshin. We need to get up early tomorrow. Do you think we can go home? It looks like the others have everything under control," Tomoe asks.

"But Tomoe."

"IF you need to Kenshin, we have it under control," Aoshi comments. _Do I really want to leave it up to them?_

"Alright. Call me when you guys find out," Kenshin says.

---

_So I took Tomoe back to our place and waited for my cell to ring. What is taking them so long to get to Kaoru's place? Maybe I should go to her place._ Suddenly, the phone rings and Kenshin picks up. "Megumi?"

"Hey Kenshin. Just calling to tell you that she's okay. She's sleeping right now but seems fine. NO need to worry."

"Thank goodness. I'll try giving her a call tomorrow then. I gotta go to bed though."

"Alright. Sano and I are going to stick around though until she wakes up. Night." _Thank goodness she's alright._

---

_I tried to get away for a few to try to call Kaoru, but the whole weekend was packed with Tomoe's family visiting. They had something planned for every minute of the day and leaving would be considered rude. Anyway, I finally had some free time after work on Monday so I decided to call._

"Kaoru?"

"Hey Kenshin."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Just heading over for some volunteer work."

"Oh yeah. I've been so busy I haven't done that in a while. I'm surprised that you still are." _She's such an amazing person. Working all day and then volunteering. I really wish that I could do some._

"Well, the kids are nice and all, except for a few, but I can handle them." Silence. "Yahiko is asking about you."

"Maybe I'll try to go one day."

"You should." _Wow. Usually Kaoru is more talkative than this. Maybe I really did catch her at a wrong time._

"Well, I should go now. Tomoe's cooking tonight."

"Alright. Bye," Kaoru says before hanging up, not letting him respond back. _What's wrong with her?_


	3. Some Odd Vacation

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

Some Odd Vacation

---

_So every year, the gang rent out this beach house for the week. It's always lots of fun for Kaoru and I. This year though, I thought it would be nice to bring Tomoe with me because I figure as long as we keep up this tradition, Tomoe will be coming. But I never even thought about all the problems that would come up because of it._

"Finally, we have arrived!" Kaoru cheers as she drops her stuff on the floor and stretches towards the ceiling.

"That plane ride felt like forever," Sano comments, walking further into the beach house.

"Well then, let's put our stuff away and then get something to eat," Megumi suggests.

"Aoshi and I will get the usual. Megumi and Sano will get their usual. And then Kaoru and…oh no," Misao says as she and everyone else turn towards Kaoru. _This might be a problem._

"I didn't even realize there would be seven of us. I mean, we usually book this place in January," Misao says.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it was going to be a problem," Tomoe says, looking sincere.

"Don't worry about it. I can take the couch. I'll be just fine down here."_ Maybe we can rearrange something? But that means someone will have to sleep on the couch anyways. Kaoru really is always looking out for others._

"Are you sure Kaoru? We could try to rearrange stuff," Aoshi suggests.

"No, it's alright. It's probably better this way anyways. I mean, I won't have to listen to Kenshin's snoring," Kaoru says, putting her stuff on the couch.

"Actually, I think you're the one that snores Kaoru."

"So now that we have everything figured out, let's put our stuff away and get some food. Since you're taking the couch Kaoru, you can get the honor of picking where we eat."

"Just make sure you keep the living area clean Kaoru. You know you and messes," Megumi says before heading up the stairs. Kaoru looks around quickly and then plops herself on the couch. _Kaoru must not be happy about that. She can't keep a room clean if her life depended on it. I would know. Even if she cleans up her place, 15 minutes later it looks like a hurricane hit it._

---

_The first day wasn't anything exciting. Sitting around the house or just walking out. It's a real day of just relaxing. Nothing usually happens until that night when we go out to our favorite restaurant here. I'm sure this will cheer Kaoru up._

"And I will have the Mama Margarita," Kaoru orders, the waiter jotting it down and then leaving.

"Kaoru. Do you know how big that thing is and how much alcohol is in it?" Megumi asks as if she was a child.

"So what? I'm on vacation and it's not like I'm driving home."

"I think you should change your order. Consuming all that can't be good," Aoshi points out.

"I've had a lot more before and I hold my liquor. Plus, I get the glass when I'm done."

---

"Kaoru can really drink can't she?" Tomoe asks as the group enters the house, Kaoru in front of them all, rocking back and forth and very happy.

"It never surprises how much she can hold. Three of those drinks would normally take any normal man down I would think. Maybe they're not as strong as we thought," Kenshin says as they continue to watch her walk. _Kaoru usually drinks this much only when it's a party or holiday, not on nights out like this. Is something going on? I should talk to her later._

"Kaoru, where are you going?" Sano asks.

"I am going to sleep."

"The couch is there," he points out.

"The couch sucks. It's so uncomfortable and itchy. I want to sleep outside. Oooh. Maybe I can make a tent or something." She grabs her stuff from the chair off to the side and walks towards the backdoor.

"Then let us help," Misao says.

"Nope. I want to do this on my own," she says, turning around and walking backwards. She turns back around and walks right into the glass door, knocking her down on her ass. "I meant that," she says, bending backwards to see the rest. _That is totally a Kaoru moment._

_­_---

_The next day we usually leave the house and act like real tourists, visiting the sites and buying souvenirs. So here we are this morning, sitting around the table discussing what we were planning on doing for the day._

"Kenshin, why don't we go to those gardens you were telling me about? It seems like a great day for that," Tomoe says, commenting on the clear skies.

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Morning Kaoru. Have you decided what you're going to do today?" Misao asks as Kaoru walks over to her bag, shuffling through. _Doesn't look like she got much sleep. I guess the couch thing isn't working for her._

"Probably go lie out on the beach and increase my risk of skin cancer."

"We're on vacation though, you should enjoy yourself," Sano comments, trying to ignore what Megumi was trying to show him.

"You can join us Kaoru," Kenshin says. _She loves the gardens._

"I will enjoy myself as I sleep the day away. When I get back from here, I won't be sleeping for the next week."

"How about breakfast then? Kenshin made pancakes," Misao says.

"No thanks. I'm just gonna pack some food and head on out to get a good spot. See you guys later," she says, as she takes out some clothing and heads to the bathroom. _She never refuses food, especially when I cook it._

---

_Nothing eventful happened that day and the next. Tomoe and I went by ourselves to visit some places that I used to visit with Kaoru, but I guess she wasn't in the mood.. I hadn't seen Kaoru for that whole time too which makes me concerned, but the others have been talking to her, so I know she's okay. Things got…interesting I guess you can say that night when we decided to go out to this bar we know. Tomoe never seems to like it when we go to bars. I guess she's not really used to them. Actually, I don't know why we always go out to them? Maybe to remind us of when we were younger? Anyways, back to what happened that night._

"Kaoru, you look hot. Planning on catching yourself a pretty one?" Sano says as Kaoru comes down the stairs in a mid-thigh, strapless black dress, with matching heels.

"And what if I am?"

"Maybe you should change into something a little less showy? Maybe a jacket?" Kenshin suggests as Kaoru goes to her stuff, taking out a small clutch bag.

"You never used to complain."

"That's because you wouldn't where things that made you look like a prostitute and there are a lot of unfavorable guys out there." A long silent pause happened as everyone looked at Kaoru, watching as her fist start shaking. _I think maybe that was a bit harsh. It's just that's something you should wear maybe in college, but not in your late twenties. I better say something before Kaoru explodes._

"You know that I'm not weak and I am old enough to take care of myself. Now let's get going," she says, storming out of the house and making everyone scramble after her.

---

_So I didn't get to apologize to Kaoru since she just walked out and made sure she was always away from me. Instead, we just sat at the bar. Or at least everyone but Kaoru. She's sitting like she did in the college days when she wanted guys to buy her drinks because she was broke, which happened a lot. Those were good times. But she does look just as good as she did back then._

"This is from the man over there with the white hair," the waiter says, setting a Mai Tai down in front of Kaoru and pointing towards a white haired man.

"Hey. Isn't that guy from the shops?" Misao asks as they all study the man talking to the bartender.

"Enishi? Yeah."

"How did you meet?" Aoshi asks

"I was just staring at this painting when he came up to me. We started talking and that's it," she says as she gets up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Kenshin asks. _I don't like the way that guy is looking at Kaoru. There's something going on.._

"I gotta thank him for the drink." She walks over towards the bar, taking the empty stool next to Enishi and placing her drink down.

_For the rest of the night, I couldn't help but keep looking Kaoru's way to make sure everything was okay. I know that they both gave a few glances my way. I wonder what they're talking about?_

"Kenshin, are you alright?" Tomoe asks.

"I'm fine."

"You don't have to worry about Kaoru Kenshin. She met Enishi earlier today when we were shopping and he was a perfect gentleman," Misao says, looking at Kaoru then at Kenshin.

"That's why I'm concerned." _And I have every right to be concerned. Kaoru's my best friend, almost a sister. If anything were to happen to her after all the times she helped me out, I don't know what I would do._

---

_The next day I didn't see Kaoru when I woke up. Misao said that Enishi had picked her up earlier in the day and they were spending it together. Isn't it too soon to be spending the day alone with a stranger? _

_That day, Tomoe and I stayed close to the house, by the beach. The whole time I tried to enjoy myself but I just couldn't get my mind off of Kaoru. I just hope she's okay._

_Eventually night came along and still no sign of Kaoru. Did something happen? I tried calling her cell, but it went straight towards her voicemail. I tried to sleep, but couldn't, so I decided to stay up and wait for her. TO make sure that she really was okay. 3 am? 3 am!_

"Kenshin, why don't you get ready for bed?" Tomoe asks as she watches Kenshin stand by the window looking out front.

"It's already 3 am and no word from Kaoru. What if something happened and she can't call because she's dead or hurt?"

"I'm sure everything is okay honey."

"I just don't trust that guy."

_I decide to look out the window again, only to see Enishi walking up with Kaoru towards the house. I don't like how this is going. I'm going out._ Kenshin opens the door and heads out, Tomoe standing by.

"Kaoru, what took you so long to get home?" Kenshin says as he walks out of the house and stomps towards the two.

"Kenshin? Were you watching out for me?" Kaoru says, turning around towards Kenshin.

"How could I not with this bastard. You have no clue who he really is and to spend a whole with him alone."

"I can handle myself Kenshin and Enishi is not a bad person. I can't believe you would say something about him like that when you don't even know him. It's not like you're my keeper."

"But I am a guy."

"God Kenshin. I can sleep with whatever guy I want." She turns from him, looking at Enishi again.

"So he slept with you?" _I knew it._

"Excuse me. Maybe I should try to explain things," Enishi says, moving past Kaoru and towards Kenshin.

"You stay out of this." Kenshin throws a punch hitting Enishi is the jaw and causing him to stumble back. HE soon gains his ground again and the two start into a fist fight, Kaoru moving away before she gets hit.

"Oh for crying out loud, will you guys stop this already. I said stop!"

"What in the hell is going on here?" Megumi asks as everyone is now outside watching.

"Kaoru is back," Misao states, watching as Kaoru tries to stop the guys.

"Is Kenshin fighting Enishi?" Sano asks, everyone nodding yes.

"That's it." Kaoru steps between the boys and punches Kenshin in the eye, knocking him onto the ground. Tomoe comes rushing towards him as Kaoru inspects Enishi. "Enishi are you okay?"

"I think so." He puts his hand to his cheek and winces.

"Let's get you back to your place. I'll help you," Kaoru says, leading him back to the waiting limo. She soon gets in after him and head off.

"Kenshin? Kenshin honey, are you okay?" Tomoe asks looking at Kenshin and helping him stand. He touches the spot hit by Kaoru a few times, then wipes something from the corner of his mouth. _She defended him and not me. She punched me and not him._

---

"Why in the world did you go outside and pull something like that?" Megumi says, sitting Kenshin down and inspecting his wounds.

"He was making a move on Kaoru. It was too quick."

"You have got to be kidding me. She's a hot babe Kenshin and is out looking for a guy. If you haven't noticed, she's the only single one left out of all of us. How do you think she feels when we're all out doing couple things and then she's left to herself or a wheel?" Sano mentions. _I never really thought about that. She's the only one left single and we kinda have been leaving her out. We used to do everything together as if we were a couple and now that I can't anymore…_

---

_And today, here I am in town looking for sour gummy worms, Kaoru's favorite food. Whenever we get in a fight, we always wind up exchanging stupid little gifts to apologize to each other. I just hope that this will fix things._

"Kenshin," Kaoru says, hugging a box close to her.

"Kaoru. Where's Enishi?" Kenshin asks, looking around.

"He had some work to do. Looks like he gave you a nice black eye though," she says, laughing to break the awkwardness.

"Actually, you did."

"Oh. Sorry. Here." She hands him over the package, bowing her head.

"I should be apologizing Kaoru," he says, holding out a large bag of candy.

"Looks like we had the same thought in mind." Each takes the gift and continue to look at everything except each other.

"I shouldn't have been so rude to you and Enishi. You are an adult and should do what you want."

"I should apologize for exploding on you. I mean, you were just trying to protect me like you always do. It's just that this is the first major event where I've been the odd person out and it's hard. In come Enishi who actually pays some attention to me and acknowledges me and I couldn't say no to it. And I wound up having fun I never thought I would be having."

"I didn't even think about that. Man I've been a really crappy best friend haven't I?" he says, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, you have."

"You're free for the day right?"

"What do you think?"

"How about we spend the day alone then? Just you and me like old times."

"What about Tomoe?"

"I'll just call her. She wanted to catch up on some work anyhow."

---

_When was the last time I spent an actual day alone with Kaoru? God I can't remember. But I never forgot how much fun it was and all the weird things that she would get herself into. Kaoru is a complicated person and lives a life full of strange things, even without her knowing. It would really take some kind of guy in order to keep up with her for the rest of his life._


	4. Just Another Saturday

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

Just Another Saturday

---

_Every time I bring Tomoe with me to go hang out with the guys, I always feel this odd tension between her and Kaoru and I just don't understand why. I mean, Kaoru usually accepts people easily, like that Enishi guy, so why wouldn't she do the same with Tomoe? I thought that maybe I should ask Kaoru about it, but she would just explode at me. I think it would be best if I let them settle things out._

"Kenshin honey, I was wondering if I could borrow your cell?"

"Sure. But how come?"

"I wanted to call Kaoru and see if maybe she wanted to get together this Saturday. I mean you talk so much about her and I thought it would be nice if we got to know each other."

"That sounds like a great idea."

---

"Kenshin, how are you?"

"I'm fine Tomoe," Kenshin says while driving in his car. "How was your Saturday out?"

"IT was so much fun Kenshin. Kaoru is such a great person. She even told me a few stories about you guys. You two must have been real close if she almost died for you." _I remember that day. How could I not? I felt so bad after that I started taking my training more seriously so that nothing bad could happen to Kaoru again._

"Yeah. We are. Anyways, I heading home right now, so I'll see you in a few."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye." _She called while I was on my way home from a business meeting. On a Saturday, yes. And I realized when I hung up that we were passing the neighborhood where Kaoru lived. So what did I decide to do? Stop by and thank her for spending the day with Tomoe. I told the driver to stop in front of Kaoru's townhouse and walked up. Knocking on the door, I realized that she wasn't home. Where was she? I guess I should at least wait around for a while to see if she'll stop by._

"Kenshin? What are you doing here?" Kaoru asks, as Kenshin lifts himself off from the wall and approaches her.

"I had an engagement and decided to stop by on the way home. Once Tomoe dropped you off, she called me and wouldn't stop talking about how much fun she had with you. I really appreciate it that you went out with her. I had the feeling that maybe you didn't like her?" _I hope this is an okay time to bring this up._

"She's a nice person." _She doesn't exactly seem like her chipper self. Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up._

"Well, it's important to me that my two favorite ladies get along. Anyways, you must be tired and Tomoe is waiting for me. I'll see you around," he says, waving and heading towards the elevator.

"Bye."

I know it was short, but I couldn't think of much to write.


	5. I Can't Believe I Forgot her Birthday!

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

I Can't Believe I Forgot her Birthday!

---

_So for the past few days, I've felt like I've been forgetting something important. This morning, it felt even stronger. Unfortunately, I left my planner at work so I can't look to see if it is something important because if it was, it should be in there. If only I could figure it out._

"Kenshin. I'm back."

"How was your shopping trip?"

"It was fine. But you won't guess who I met?"

"Who?"

"Kaoru. She was coming out of that cute little jewelry store. I guess she was having a day of shopping since she also had a bag from Micah's"

"Micah's? Isn't that place a bit pricey?"

"Yeah. Unless there was a sale that I didn't know of."

_That's really weird. Kaoru never spends a lot on anything unless she has to. I wonder why she was…oh no. Don't tell me I forgot. _"Tomoe honey, what day is today?"

"The 16th. Why?" _It can't be. It just can't. I gotta go find a calendar._ Kenshin runs over to the refrigerator and looks at the calendar, a blue dot next to today's date.

"I can't believe that I forgot Kaoru's birthday."

---

_I can't believe that I forgot Kaoru's birthday. I've never forgotten anything like this before. What a crappy friend I am. I just hope that Misao and Megumi didn't forget._

"Hey Kenshin. What can I do for you?"

"Misao, have you seen Kaoru today?"

"No why?"

"You forgot to then."

"Forgot what?"

"Today is Kaoru's birthday."

"What! IT can't be."

"Tomoe saw her buying things from the more expensive stores."

"I can't believe it. What are we gonna do?"

"Call Megumi and inform her. I'm going to make plans and I'll call you guys later with the details."

"Alright. Bye." _Oh god. I am so dead. How could I have forgotten her birthday? Now what am I supposed to do? I can't just call her because then it will seem like I forgot. Hey, that's my phone. Why is Hiko calling?_

"Hello."

"How could you forget what today was?"

"I know. I know. I'm an idiot. I feel really bad. Do you know where Kaoru is?" _Please let him know._

"She's here at the mansion with me. Unlike you and your friends, I remembered and invited her to come spend the day with me if you guys didn't show up. Get over here as soon as possible. It's gonna have to be big."

"I know. Hello? Hello?" _He hung up on me. The nerve of him. Then again, I probably deserve it. Anyway, I gotta start planning and make it quick._

---

_So somehow I was able to get a nice cake and get everyone over to my uncle's common area so we can surprise Kaoru. I just hope that Kaoru forgives us. I don't know what I would do if something happened to us. So here we are in the dark, waiting for her to show._

"Uncle Hiko, would you mind if I spent the night? I don't feel like going home. Uncle Hiko?" says Kaoru as she enters and turns on the light to show the group and Hiko, Kenshin holding a small cake.

"Surprise. Happy birthday Kaoru." _Uh oh. That look on Kaoru's face can't be a good thing. Or maybe it's just a weird surprised face? Oh god._

"Hurry and blow out the candles. There's only 30 minutes left for your birthday," Sano says, everyone looking at her.

"And you remembered when?" Kaoru asks.

"It's not like we forgot. We had this whole thing planned," Misao says, trying to look innocent. Please believe us Kaoru.

"Really?"

"We're really sorry Kaoru. It completely slipped our…" Megumi says before Kaoru stops her.

"That's been happening a lot lately. Some friends I have," Kaoru says, leaning back and arms crossed.

"Look Kaoru, it's not our fault," Sano comments.

"Then who's fault is it? I mean, we used to be just fine, but then everyone got married and even though you said the nothing would ever change, you have pretty much forgotten that I existed. Even through everything we had been through. To you, I'm just some charity case where every now and then you decide to do something so you don't feel so damn bad.

"And you. You are the worst of all. All the times I stood up for you when we were younger and the issues that I went through for you. You're like my other half. Remember when you had that huge presentation and you wanted me to come even though I was halfway across the world? Do you remember what I did? I flew over to be there for you only to fly out when it was over. Do you realize how screwed up my sleep schedule was and how much work I had to make up? I suffered a concussion and other broken bones for you when we were younger. How many people do you know who would do that?

"And on the one day that had any real meaning to me and you have it only as an afterthought? Well screw you guys, I'm out of here. Uncle Hiko, can I stay the night?" Hiko walks past the group and towards Kaoru, taking her by the shoulder.

"Come on. Let's get your room ready." _She's right about everything. I've been such a crappy friend to her lately. I mean, I forgot her birthday and really haven't been spending any time with her after everything she has done for me over the years._

"Oh man. I feel so bad about forgetting and she was right about everything," Sano says.

"SO what do we do now?" Aoshi asks.

"I guess we go home and try to figure out what we can do to make it up to her. And it's going to have to be something big," Misao suggests.

"I'm going to stay here the night I think."

"How come?" Megumi asks.

"I want to talk to Kaoru when she wakes up about what happened today and to apologize."

"I'll stay over too then," Tomoe says.

"I think it would be better if you went back to the apartment. I have to talk to Kaoru alone. Out of everyone, I messed up the most."

"Got that right."

"Sano!" Megumi and Misao scream at him. _I just hope I can fix thing._

---

_So I stayed over that night and woke up bright and early so I could make sure that I caught Kaoru before she left. I decided that the best thing would be to wait at the dining table since Kaoru never skips a meal. _

"Morning Kaoru?"

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru asks, sitting across from Kenshin who is already eating.

"This is my house after all. Look. I'm really sorry about forgetting your birthday. It really wasn't one of my priorities when it should have been. You're my best friend Kaoru and you mean more to me than anything. I really want to make it up to you and I know this is way beyond candy. I'll give you anything you want." _Please let this work._

"Spar with me."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. As your apology, I want you to spar with me. And I swear if you don't give it your all, I'll stay mad at you until my next birthday. Unless you're scared I might beat you." _And sadly, she probably would._

"You better eat up then because you are going to need all the energy you can get."

---

"I win Kenshin," Kaoru says after hitting Kenshin on the side and knocking him on the ground, his bokken a few feet away. Kenshin sits on the floor, panting heavily as Kaoru steps away, from sweating after a long match. _Damn. She better than I remember she was. When did she get this good? I mean she was good, but this good?_

"You always were better than me."

"Kenshin, are you okay? That looked like it hurt," Tomoe says, running over and kneeling next to him.

"Nothing but a bruise. Don't worry," Kenshin says, getting himself with Tomoe trying to help. _But it's going to be one hell of a bruise._

"I'm ashamed of you nephew. You lost to a girl, even if it was Kaoru."

"Sorry shishou." He bows to Hiko and turns to Kaoru.

"And I think you've actually improved from last night," Hiko says, earning a grin from Kaoru.

"I'm always getting better. I'm gonna take a shower then head home."

"Do you want a ride home?" Kenshin asks as Kaoru heads towards the door.

"No. I'm fine." _I'm so glad that we were able to do something. I hope that Kaoru really does forgive me for forgetting her birthday. And maybe today was one step closer to having the relationship we once had. But can we really have that same relationship with Tomoe in the picture?_


	6. What Did I Do Wrong?

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

What Did I Do Wrong?

---

_So here I am, waiting in a small café in town for Kaoru to come. I called her earlier today to break the news to her. I never thought in all my years that something like this might happen. I'm moving to New York in order to be with Tomoe because she got this big promotion that requires her to move. I know it's a big step in our relationship, but I really think that I am in love with her, I think. I just hope Kaoru is going to take this well. I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to do without her. She's been there for pretty much everything._

"Hey Kenshin," Kaoru says, walking over to the small table, two cups of coffee in front. She sits down, resting her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands. "How's it going?"

"Good. I ordered you the usual for you, if I remember," he says, pushing one of the cups over.

"And you did. Thanks." She picks it up, smelling and then taking a drink. _Alright. This is starting out well. Gotta do a little prep work though._

"You look happy."

"I got a promotion today at work. More money and bigger title would make anyone happy."

"Congrats. You probably earned it." Kaoru puts down her drink, getting more serious.

"So, was there any special reason why you wanted to meet?"

"There was. Tomoe got a promotion as well."

"Congratulations to her. So, was that the only reason you wanted to meet up?" _Here goes nothing. Please let everything go smoothly._

"The promotion she got would need us to move," Kenshin says, looking down and moving his cup around.

"Move where Kenshin?" _Alright Kenshin, you can do this. Just go out and say it. Remember deep breaths._

"To New York."

"New York as in the one half way across the world?"

"It's a great opportunity for Tomoe and I can get my uncle to reassign me to one of our offices over there," Kenshin says, still not making eye contact. Silence becomes between the two, just staring at their drinks.

"So you agreed to go with her?" Kaoru says, breaking the silence.

"I love her Kaoru," Kenshin whispers. Silence ensues again.

"So you plan on leaving your home, your family and all of your friends who you have known for your whole life to go live with some girl you think you're in love with knowing for what, a year maybe?" Kaoru says, looking straight at her red headed friend. Kenshin looks straight at her as well.

"I have only one soul mate Kaoru. I can always make new friends," Kenshin growls. Kaoru leans back at the insult, closing her eyes and squeezing her cup.

"So all these years meant nothing?" she whispers, letting Kenshin realize what he has suddenly said. _I did not just say that. I gotta do some damage control quick._

"Kaoru…"

"Don't you dare Kaoru me. After everything I did for you and all the times I did things for you. I almost died for you, you bastard. Go to the states for all I care. I don't want to see your ugly face ever again," Kaoru screams, slamming her cup down, causing some of the liquid to spill out. She stands up from her seat and stomps out the store, people silently watching the show before them.

"Kaoru wait!" Kenshin yells, standing up but not before Kaoru had left. _What in the hell have I done?_

--

_I tried calling her after that, but she didn't answer her phone. I guess she just needed sometime to cool off. I can't believe that I said those things to her. How could I ever replace her as a friend? We've been through everything together and no one could ever fill her shoes._

"Hey honey, what are you doing back home so late? Rough day at work?"

"I met Kaoru today. To tell her about the move to New York."

"How did she take it?"

"Not very well. Some words were exchanged and she walked out. I haven't been able to contact her."

"She probably just needs some time. This is a big step for both her and you."

"I know."

--

_I tried calling Kaoru the next day, but still no answer. Thankfully, I knew that today Megumi, Sano, Aoshi and Misao got together at Megumi and Sano's place. I figured that she must've talked to one of them over the few days. At least I hope._

"Coming." The door to reveal Megumi with a spoon in her hand. "Kenshin, what are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if anyone had heard from Kaoru the past few days?"

"Let me check. Come on in." She moves out of the way and lets him in, showing that Sano, Misao and Aoshi are there in front of the television. _Perfect. They're all here._

"Hey Kenshin. What are you doing here?" Sano asks.

"I was wondering if you had heard from Kaoru lately?"

"Nope. How come?"

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you guys." He walks into the living space and sits in an empty chair facing all of them. Megumi moves over to sit on the armrest next to Sano. _I should've told them earlier, but after Kaoru's reaction._

"Tell us what?" Misao asks, excited but concerned at Kenshin's tone.

"Tomoe got a promotion, so we're moving to New York."

"What? You're kidding me?" Misao screams, jumping up from her seat.

"And you told Kaoru this? When?" Megumi asks.

"Three days ago."

"Dammit. Code Red?" Misao says, looking at Megumi.

"Code Red. I'll get the supplies. You start the chain."

"Right." Misao gets up and heads towards the phone as Megumi runs towards her room. _What is code red? They seem to be in a panic._

"What's going on?" Kenshin asks outloud.

"No time to talk. We gotta get moving. Megumi, I got the car keys," Misao says, already at the door, cell phone to her ear.

"I got the stuff. Take care of the place. There's food in the fridge." Megumi says, carrying a large bag and rushing out the door with Misao. _Something is going on here. I look at Sano and Aoshi for answers but all they do is stare at each other. I know Aoshi is quiet, but Sano._

"So Kenshin, want a beer?" Sano asks, getting up from his seat and heading towards the kitchen.

"Sure. But do you guys have any idea what that was about?"

"The girls had a feeling that something like this might happen one day and wanted to be prepared. Though Kaoru acts strong, she's still very sensitive," Aoshi says from his seat.

"So, did you say anything else that would make you worry so much, other than the fact that you were leaving?"

"I said that I could always make new friends in New York," he says, looking down on the floor instead of the others.

"I can't believe you would say something like that," Sano shouts, slamming his beer on the table.

"We just got in this moment of fighting and it just came out. I tried to apologize, but she wouldn't let me."

"That was like telling her everything you went through meant nothing. No wonder she's so upset." _I know that now. But before, I wasn't able to control what was coming out of my mouth._

"So what should I do?"

"Wait until the girls give it the okay for you to go see her. Maybe in a few days."

"But I would still bring protection just in case. You know missy and her swing."

---

_For the next few days, I couldn't stop thinking about Kaoru. I wonder how she was. I hadn't heard from Megumi or Misao, so I took that as a bad sign. Did I really hurt Kaoru that much? I just couldn't take it anymore. I tried calling all of them but no one would answer, so I thought that the next best thing to do would be to go there myself. SO after work on Friday, I stopped by and rang the bell. And boy was I surprised to see who was there at Kaoru's door._

"Uncle Hiko," Kenshin says, giving a slight bow. _Oh man, I can tell this isn't going to be good._

"What are you doing here?" Hiko asks, blocking the door with hid body.

"Is Kaoru around?"

"This is her house."

"Can I talk to her?"

"I don't know."

"It's okay." They both look inside to see Kaoru peaking around the corner of the hallway, her hair down and dressed in a long plain shirt. _Is that really the Kaoru that I know?_

"Kaoru," Hiko says, approaching the girl.

"I'll be fine," she says, still looking at Kenshin outside. Hiko turns back around, opening the door a bit to give Kenshin entrance.

"I'm going to go out to the store on the corner. I'll be right back." Before he exits, he bends his head towards Kenshin's. "If I see her crying when I come back, I will put you through hell." He finally leaves, closing the door behind, leaving the two alone. Kaoru gestures towards the couch, letting Kenshin sit down before taking a seat some distance away. Silence envelopes the room before Kenshin makes the first move. _I guess someone has to start._

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So, how are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

"Look Kaoru. All those things from before I didn't mean. I mean, I meant some parts. But not the parts about how I could just make new friends and forget about you and everyone. You were the best thing that ever happened to me and I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't for you. No matter where I go, I could never forget about you. And being so far away, it's going to be hard but I'm sure we can make things work out."

"I guess I overreacted a bit too. But, it's hard loosing your best friend."

"I was thinking, maybe we could take a day for ourselves? Go do some of the stuff we did when we were kids to remember the old times," Kenshin says, attempting to make eye contact for the first time curing their meeting.

"Only if you pay," she says looking back at him and smiling a bit. He smiles back in return.

"Alright." Suddenly, his phone rings.Taking it out and looking at the ID, he gets up from the couch._ Tomoe. She really has good timing. _"I gotta get going. But I wanted to see how you were doing." She gets up as well and heads towards the door, opening it up for him to leave.

"And as you can see, I'm fine. Bye."

"Bye," Kenshin says, giving one last look at her before leaving and having Kaoru shut the door behind. _I guess she has every right to be mad at me. But hopefully we can make things up before I leave._


	7. Do I Regret This?

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

Do I Regret This?

---

_So like I promised, Kaoru and I spent a day together, doing all the things that we used to do when we were kids. And I can't remember that last time I had so much fun. Some of the things we did, Tomoe would never do and I wouldn't get to do. Not because I'm with her, but because I'm getting older and half the stuff we did, we got strange looks for doing things. I really am going to miss this._

_After that day, most of my days were spent with getting files together and putting my place together in time for the big move to New York. I never realized until then just how much stuff I had accumulated over the years. Most of it, reminded me of everyone that I would be leaving behind. All the birthday and Christmas gifts and photos. That's when I realized just how much my life was going to change and how I was really going to miss everyone, especially Kaoru. She had been there for me for everything, always making sure she had free time for me. And now as I think about it, I realize what a jerk I've been lately about not taking more time with her, even just picking up a phone. God I've been a horrible friend. I gotta make it up to her somehow. _

_And just in general, it was hard to get anyone's gifts with all the parties and functions I had to attend. I wasn't even able to go to our usual Christmas party because I had to go to some function at Tomoe's workplace. I must say, it feel odd going with her to these events. I usually would take Kaoru, even if I was dating someone else just because it always felt more comfortable with her around. She would constantly break jokes that would keep me from going stir crazy with all these stuck up snoots. I tried to make a few jokes with Tomoe, but she didn't find most of them funny. Maybe she's just nervous about moving so far away. I know I am._

_On Christmas day, we had to go to yet another event and because it was invitation only, I wasn't able to invite Kaoru along. I wonder what she's doing exactly. Anyways, since Tomoe decided to talk to her parents for a while, Hiko and I left early and decided it would be a nice surprise to visit Kaoru. Hopefully, she's still up and at home. This time of year is supposed to be spent with family and friends, but unfortunately, everyone has gone off to do other things._

"I see you got her a present. I thought that you might not be able to with your busy schedule. I'm glad you have your priorities in check," Hiko says, going up to the door and ringing the bell, a long box under his arm.

"I've learned my lesson. I just hope that she likes it," Kenshin says, sticking his hands into his pockets. _I really hope she does. _

"Kenshin. Hiko. What are you doing here?" Kaoru says, opening her door to display a well dressed Kenshin and Hiko, compared to herself, in her pajamas.

"We thought it would be nice to drop by. I mean, it is Christmas after all," Hiko says, handing her his present and Kenshin following suit. Kaoru moves out of the way, and motions for them to come in.

"Come on in. I'm surprised you would stay up this late. Sorry that I don't have your presents, but I've been busy lately."

"So what were you up to today?" Hiko asks, looking around, eyeing the take out on the living room table. Kenshin stands somewhat off, Kaoru giving him a quick glance before answering the question.

"Just stayed in. Watched old Christmas movies and ate noodles," she says, running over to turn off the TV. _I'm surprised Kaoru cooked. Or maybe she got take-out. But from where? Has anyone even come over quickly to say merry Christmas? It doesn't look like she's too happy to see us here._

"Well, looks like you were ready for bed and we need to get home soon, so we just came to drop off presents," Kenshin says, making his way to the door.

"Thanks," she says, before picking up the packages she had put on the table to place them under her sad excuse for a Christmas tree.

"Are you going to open them?" Hiko asks, stopping her from putting them away.

"Now? Don't you have to leave?" she asks, confused.

"I think we can wait a little longer." He leads her over to her couch and sits down next to her, taking both gifts from her before giving her the larger one. "The big one is from me." Kenshin walks over to lean against the wall across from them. Kaoru eagerly rips the paper off and carefully opens the box to show a polished bokken, elaborately decorated. She picks it up in both hands, feeling its weight.

"It's beautiful. I'm sure it's not meant to be used, right?" she asks, giving him a big hug.

"You could, but it wouldn't be very effective." _Leave it to Hiko to get Kaoru something that can be used as a weapon. I guess she's still into kendo._

"I'm gonna have to find someplace to put this." She gently puts it back in the box, putting it off to the side and picking up the next. _Please let her like it. I hope it was the right person._

"The other is from me." She opens it quicker than the first one to display a silver daisy, with white petals and yellow center on a silver chain.

"A necklace."

"Tomoe said that she saw you coming out of that jewelry store at the mallso I thought I would go to look for a present there. The guy said that a woman with black hair and blue eyes was looking at this one for a while and I figured there aren't many who fit that description."

"That's because it's special. Don't you remember?" she asks, looking up at him, not taking out the necklace.

"Remember what?"

"How we met."

"How could I not? It happened one day in kindergarten. This kid was bullying me and wouldn't stop, until you came over and punched the kid in the face. You got in a lot of trouble for that." _One would think children can be violent, but that wasn't the first time that Kaoru had stood up for me and wound up hitting someone with something. And you would think she would eventually grow out of it, but I certainly don't think so._

"No TV for a week. The next day, the teacher made me sit under the tree to punish me for the day before. That's when you came up and said 'Thank you'. Then you gave me something. And from that point on, we were inseparatable. It was first thing that a guy gave me as an actual present that wasn't a bug. Do you remember what that was?" _I don't remember giving her anything? Think Kenshin._

"I'm sorry, but I don't."

"It was a daisy. One of those with the white petals and yellow center. And that's why this necklace means so much." Kenshin laughs softly, covering his mouth. _How is she able to remember such detail? I never knew that something like that could mean so much to her that she remembers exactly what it looks like._

"You can remember something like that but not where you put your car keys?"

"Selective memory?" Kaoru chuckles herself.

"We better get going. You have some more packing to do," Hiko announces, getting up from his seat and starting towards the door.

"Right. I guess I'll see you in two days then," Kenshin says, looking a Kaoru before stepping outside.

"Yeah. Two days." _That's right. In two days, I'll be separated from my friends and family for who knows how long, in order to move to the states with Tomoe. Why do I keep thinking this is the wrong move? I mean, I love Tomoe. Everything about her is perfect and when I'm around her, I'm completely at peace._

"That was a nice gift to give her, even if you had no idea what it meant to her," Hiko says as they make their way towards their car in waiting.

"I guess I should be thanking Tomoe then. It was the least I could do after being such a jerk to her the past few months."

"The best thing you could do for her is stay here, with the rest of us. None of us want to see you go." He opens the door and steps in, Kenshin taking the other side.

"I have to. I love Tomoe and there's no way that a long distance relationship could possibly work out. And if we get married some day, I would have to move there anyways."

"If?"

"If what?" Kenshin asks confused. _What is he getting at?_

"Never mind," Hiko says, smiling and motioning the driver to drive.

---

_The next two days went in a blur. We had to transfer accounts, make sure everything in the States was ready, close things here in Japan, make sure everything was packed, and some other business stuff. I wanted to try to at least maybe see Kaoru one more time before I left, maybe for a quick get together, but there was never a break. I honestly don't even remember going to bed at all those two days. It was coming fast and I wasn't ready._

"Kenshin honey, do you want some tea or something?" Tomoe asks, walking up behind Kenshin as he stares out his window overlooking the skylight.

"No. I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About moving and leaving everyone?" _That's all I've been able to think about lately._

"Yeah. It's going to be hard."

"But we'll have each other and that's all that really matters. We'll get through it together," she says, giving him a kiss and wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Hmm."

---

_Eventually the day came where Tomoe and I were to head off to New York. Instead of a party, they decided it would be better if they just saw me off, which I knew was going to be hard for everyone. But if they want to do it, I wouldn't stop them._

"Kenshin! I'm going to miss you so much! Nothing is going to be the same without you. Who are we going to play pranks on and who's going to pretend to laugh at my jokes?" Misao wails, he arms wrapped around Kenshin's neck as he pats her on the back. Aoshi stands next to her as the rest of the group stand a few feet away. Kenshin and Tomoe stand next to each other by the gate, bags next to them on the floor.

"I'm sure everything things won't be that bad Misao. Plus, I can always come visit." _She always has to make things so dramatic. I'm gonna miss it. _Misao finally lets go and wipes the tears from her face, attaching herself to Aoshi.

"Good luck in New York. You too Tomoe," he says, bowing slightly.

"Thanks Aoshi," Kenshin says, as Aoshi drags Misao away. He looks towards a now approaching Kaoru with a box in her hand. _She looks so sad. Please don't cry Kaoru, because if you do, I'm not sure if I won't be able to. _As she stops in front of him, she presents him with the present, smiling bright.

"Here. Sorry it took so long to get, but I wanted it to be special since …you know." Kenshin takes the present and shakes it up to his ear. _I wonder what it is that it took this long?_

"Can I open it now?" he asks.

"I think you should wait. Maybe when you're on the plane. But you can have this." She reaches into her bag and takes out a colored macaroni necklace, placing around Kenshin's neck. He takes the necklace in his hands and stares down at it, his grin getting bigger.

"Third grade, during your pasta art phase, right?" _I remember those times. She refused to eat any pasta because she thought it was a waste of art materials. That kinda ended fast though after she started craving noodles again._

"Right." She nods her head and the two stand in silence. Kenshin bends down to deposit the package on the floor before continuing the conversation.

"So, this is it?" Kenshin whispers, only to be surprised by Kaoru throwing herself onto him, arms around his neck and face buried in it.

"Yeah. I guess it is." Kenshin wraps his arms around her waist, burying his face in her hair._ Oh Kami, Kaoru. What am I going to do without you? I could never find someone to replace you, not even Tomoe. Are we gonna be able to stay this close so many miles away and with two completely different lives?_

"I don't think I've ever been so far from you for so long since summer vacation in eighth grade."

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"Don't say that. You're going to find yourself a great guy and have tons of babies and forget all about me." Her face shoots away from his neck, tears starting to trickle from her eyes. _Please don't cry. You never cry._

"I could never forget you. Do you promise to keep in touch?" she asks, looking straight at him. He lifts his hand and wipes away the tears, placing his forehead against hers.

"Of course. There's no way I could go on so long without hearing your annoying voice."

"Idiot," she says, hitting him in the arm then taking a step back. _I deserved that._

"Kenshin honey, we should get going," Tomoe says, her hand on his shoulder.

"Right. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."She walks towards the rest of her friends as Kenshin picks up his stuff. _This is it. The moment I've been waiting for weeks for. As long as I can make it onto the plane, I'm sure everything will be alright. Even without my friends and family. I look once more at Kaoru and realize that around her neck, is the necklace I had bought her. I guess she really likes it and at least she'll have something to never forget me._

"Bye guys," Kenshin says, waving before he enters the gate, Tomoe already ahead.

"Bye Kenshin!" He starts walking into the gate, only to turn around again and see his friends and family. Giving one last smile, he goes into the plane. _Kaoru. Nothing is going to happen. I promise. _

---

_As soon as the place left the ground and stabilized, I took the gift from Kaoru I had put under the seat and put it on my lap. She said to wait until I got on the plane to open it._

"Are you going to open it?"

"Huh?"

"You look like a little kid on Christmas. You should open it and see what she got for you."

"I guess." _I carefully opened the box to see a card on top. Picking it up, I read the contents. 'To make sure you never forget me'. Messy I put the card in my jacket and continued to go through the package. Inside was a whole bunch of pictures throughout our lives together – kendo class, school dances, summer vacations, birthday parties – a few of the things I gave her when we were kids and a few other knick knacks that reminded me of the many inside jokes we had when we were kids. All I could think about was how I was going to miss all of this and urging myself not to cry since that wouldn't do anything. At the very bottom though, was something in bubble wrap. After unwrapping, I found it to be daisy, like the one I had given Kaoru._

"Honey, are you alright?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Because you're crying." _I brought my hand up to my cheek and indeed, there were a few tears. Not many, but still. She always knew how to push my buttons._

---

_The next few days were spent unwrapping things and making sure that indeed everything from Japan had gotten here safely. And since I was always busy, I never really had the chance the talk to any of the gang. So when things kinda calmed down, I took a break and called Hiko first, then Kaoru one I figured out it was still early enough to call her. It's gonna take a while to get used to the time difference._

"Hello?"

"Kaoru? It's Kenshin."

"Kenshin. Hold on a sec. So, I guess you finally got to New York?"

"Yeah. I had some down time and decided to call the gang." _She doesn't seem to thrilled to speak to me. Maybe she's just mad for me leaving still._

"So how's it going?"

"It nice. New York is kinda different than Tokyo but the same at the same time. We haven't even completely finished unpacking yet since all Tomoe and I have been doing is making friends with her new associates. But it's a great place."

"I see."

"So, what are you up to?"

"I'm getting ready to go out. Enishi invited us to one of his clubs for New Year's Eve." _Enishi, as in that guy from summer vacation? What's he doing in Tokyo and how did he get her number._

"I see. Well, that was nice of him. So I guess, I should be going then. You need to get ready and I should probably do some more unpacking."

"Alright."

"Alright. Talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye." _It wasn't the great conversation I was hoping for, but at least I heard her voice. I just hope that with our two different lives, we'll still be able to talk to each other because just as that conversation, something that felt like a knife stabbing me in the chest went through my system. What could it have been?_


	8. Did I Make a Mistake?

Karma – Kenshin's Point of View

Did I Make a Mistake?

---

_The next day, I think it was the next day. It was the day after I talked to Kaoru. It's gonna take some time getting used to this time difference. So, Tomoe and I went to a New Years Eve party with some of the people she would be working with. I seemed like a typical business party, which I was happy about since it meant I wouldn't have to learn new things and that my English was good. But even though everything was going just fine, something still felt off. Maybe it was just because I'm just used to going to all these parties with Kaoru and she always seemed to make them more fun then they would've without her. I don't really want to say anything bad about Tomoe because she's the perfect woman – beautiful, refined, smart, successful. And when I was with her, I was completely at peace no matter what was happening. Thankfully, the night soon ended and Tomoe and I headed home. Overall, the night wasn't that bad._

_After a few days, as I continued to unpack and Tomoe started her new job, I started to go through some of my stuff, working my way to the box of things that Kaoru gave me as a farewell present, the first I took out being the daisy. I still couldn't believe all the effort she had put into it even though I had been such a jerk for the entire year. I mean, there was the time a called her a whore even though she did things that we used to do together, the time I invited Tomoe and completely forgot that we would hang out together during vacation but couldn't and she was the only single one and didn't even try to do anything, forgetting her birthday then pretending that it was part of a ploy, and then saying that she meant nothing to me because I was moving. And even though all of that happened, she still stayed by my side and wanted to be my friend when I would've thought they should want to break it off. But I guess to her, those few things were nothing compared to all the great times that we had shared over the years. I could never forget all those times, no matter how far away I was. I always loved every minute I spent hanging out with Kaoru and no matter what we did, it always seemed like fun and I couldn't imagine living my life without anyone else._

_And that's when I realized it. What a mistake I've made leaving Japan to come here. I didn't love Tomoe. I love Kaoru. Now Kaoru may not be the perfect woman, actually far from it, but maybe the perfect woman wasn't what I was looking for and Kaoru was. The way she never remembered anything except for the most important of things. The way that she would light up a room when she was there and able to make everyone feel happy even if they weren't. The way she would hit you if you did something to upset her. The way she would make my heart race and drive me insane for no apparent reason. All my best memories were with her and I couldn't think of a single one with Tomoe except maybe for our first date. I realized there that I needed to get out of here and back to her. I just hope that she didn't fall for Enishi while I was away. And even if she doesn't love me, I have to tell her. So I went upstairs and packed a bag, putting in of course presents from Kaoru. And that's when Tomoe came home._

"Kenshin, I'm home. I was thinking maybe you wanted to go out and get something to eat," Tomoe says, putting her coat on the rack only to see Kenshin walking out to meet her, bag in hand.

"Tomoe." Tomoe's gaze moves from Kenshin's down to the bag and back to him.

"Kenshin, what's with the bag?" _I wish it didn't have to be like this. Really. _

"It's complicated. Look, I don't think that coming here was a good idea. And it's not you, it's me and I want you to be happy."

"It's Kaoru, isn't it?" _How does she know? I guess I might as well just say it now._

"Yeah."

"You should go then. Before something happens," she says, walking towards the room they once shared. Before she passes, Kenshin grabs her by the arm, turning her towards him.

"Thank you Tomoe," he says, giving her a quick kiss then heading out the door.

---

_After the break-off from Tomoe, I caught the first plane I could, but when I got there, I had absolutely no idea what to do. Should I straight to Kaoru's? What if she's not there? Maybe I should call ahead of time? But that would ruin the surprise and it was all about the surprise. Maybe I should call Misao or Megumi and ask them what to do?_

"Kenshin, is that you?" Megumi says.

"Megumi, I need to ask you something important," Kenshin says, waiting for his ride to pick him up from the airport.

"Sure Kenshin, what's up?"

"Alright. I'm back here in Tokyo for…"

"What are you doing here in Tokyo?" she screams over the years.

"Kenshin's back? He hasn't even been gone two weeks," Sano says, somewhere in the background.

"I'm back because I need to talk to Kaoru."

"Did you two get in another fight?"

"No, it's just…"

"You finally left the ice queen and is going to confess his love to the missy." _Have they been waiting around for this or something?_

"It can't be. Is that true Kenshin?" Megumi says. _Say something Kenshin. Say something._

"…"

"Oh thank Kami. Listen, this is what you have to do. Get over here right now and I'm going to call Misao. We were supposed to meet up with Kaoru anyways today and this would be perfect. Alright, bye." _Well that was effective. And so, I rushed over to Megumi and Sano's place and we waited for Misao and Aoshi to show up. While waiting for them, Megumi wouldn't stop talking about how happy she was and how miserable Kaoru had been over the past few days and what happened to Tomoe. I told her about the talk we had and all Megumi could do was smile. Then when Misao came, she couldn't stop jumping up and down and thinking about the perfect way to tell Kaoru the good news. I never understood where this girl got all her energy from. Once it was decided how it would go down, we headed over and I don't think I've ever been this nervous before in my life._

_Since Megumi and Misao had a key to Kaoru's place, we simply snuck in and Misao headed to Kaoru's room in hopes of waking her up. While that was happening, I took my place at the end of the hallway and waited and my god it seemed like forever. And that's when I saw her, Misao dragging her down the hallway, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and looking like she just got out of bed. She finally opened her eyes and met mine and that's when time suddenly stopped. And I knew I had made the right decision._

"Hey Kaoru. It's been a while." _She's starring at me. Come on Kaoru, say something._

"Why … here?" Kaoru asks, her voices suddenly lifting in pitch on the last word and still in a daze. Kenshin takes a few steps forward, taking her hands in his. _Alright, here it goes._

"I thought that when you're in love, you're supposed to be calm all the time, but I realized that isn't what I wanted. I want to live life every day and have my heart racing, never knowing what's going to happen. Someone to laugh and joke with. Someone who stirs this type of passion within me that I feel when I'm with you and only you. I love you Kaoru and I want to be with you." _It's too quiet. Does she really not feel the same way? I wish she would do something. _Everyone stands in silence, waiting for Kaoru's response, only for the silence to be broken by a loud slap. As those in the background gasps, Kenshin puts a hand up to his now red left cheek, looking at Kaoru's right handed fisted to her chest. _Except maybe that._

"Kaoru. What the hell was that?" Megumi screams in the background.

"Hit me," Kaoru says.

"What?" Kenshin asks, taking his hand off his cheek and in complete bafflement. _Has she lost it or something? Does she really want me to hit her?_

"Hit me." Kenshin brings up his hand and punches Kaoru in the cheek, but not hard enough to cause any damage. Kaoru looks towards the ground and puts her hand to the spot and pokes it some more, causing herself to wink. "That hurt and you felt solid. That means this is real?" she asks out loud, looking back straight into violet eyes. Kenshin looks back at her, chuckling softly at the girl's reaction. He lifts both his hands, cupping her face and brining his face closer to hers. _So typical of Kaoru to make things more complicated._

"Yes, its real," he whispers, before placing his lips upon hers a short, but sweet kiss. He backs away, waiting for a reaction, only to see tears starting to stream down her face and Kaoru smiling bigger than humanly possible. Then with god-like speed, Kaoru flings herself into Kenshin's arms and kisses him back. _This is how things are supposed to be._


	9. Thanks to Everyone

I just wanted to thank everyone again for the great reviews, but unfortunately, the last chapter was the last chapter of the story. It was a lot of fun to write, so I plan on writing a new story which I have posted the first chapter of. I hope that you guys enjoy it. Thanks again.


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